I went to Snoqualmie Falls twice. It's been many years since I'd been up there but it is so beautiful that I wonder why I wait so long. It's really a very short drive from home.
Luckily our visit to Snoqualmie Falls after they finished work one day was during much nicer weather and we ate our picnic near the top of the falls.
The bittersweet part of June was learning that I would be released as a seminary teacher. I love teaching the youth so finding out the night before our last day together was tough, as was the graduation on Sunday. Because I had taught juniors last year and had some of the same kids in a combination class this year, it was hard to see them and realize it was the end of an era.
My new calling? Ward choir director. Yes I have music experience, years of playing the piano and organ, but only one brief experience leading a choir. It was 38 years ago, I was almost 8 months pregnant and led the ward choir as they sang at a funeral because my (then) husband/choir director had to work that day. It took a few days to wrap my head around the concept of leading a choir. I'm grateful for the temple as a place to serve but also as a place to feel the spirit and seek answers to prayers, so I could feel good about this challenge.
On June 18th I did something completely out of character for me. I went on a quilt shop hop. I am not really a quilter, at least not like my sister or my daughters or some of my friends. But it sounded like fun so I decided to go along. 12 hours, 12 quilt shops, 8 different towns. That was about 4 more shops than I anticipated and about 6 hours longer than I had expected. But we had a good time and no friendships were injured during the experience. At each shop they stamped our passports and gave us fabric to make a quilt block designed by that shop - all used the same fabrics, but the blocks are all different. We took photos at each shop holding up fingers to indicate which shop. Here are a couple of them - Kent and Maple Valley, the 9th and 10th shops.
After this picture there was just time to go to Issaquah and Bellevue before the shops closed for the night and we could finally head home. Several in this group went back out another day so they could get 16 stamps in their passports and submit them for prize drawings. We are supposed to each make something with our quilt blocks...I'm thinking pot holders.
At the end of June I was able to help at the temple while kids from stake youth conferences were there to do baptisms. It was nice to see "my" kids again and I was grateful for their help as two of them were proxies for some of Neal's ancestors. One of the names has been completed and I've mailed the others to my brother and to my daughter so they can participate as well.
So - that was June - good days and bad days, smiles and tears. I observed another anniversary, number 14, which was also the third one without Neal. But we always said we celebrate our anniversary on a day we choose rather than the actual date, so maybe we'll celebrate all the ones we miss when we are finally reunited at Home.
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